The Great Primate Handshake – Volunteer in Africa, working to conserve monkeys and apes through film and educational content production

On Saturday night, the Volunteers of The Great Primate Handshake gathered for a presentation about Conservation in Kenya, given by Susan Jepkemoi, of the Elsamere Conservation and Field Study Center. The Center was originally the home of Joy and George Adamson who rescued and rehabilitated lions and released them back into the wild. Most people know about the Adamsons’ story from the best selling book turned film, “Born Free”. This was based on Joy’s autobiographical account of her relationship with a Lion named Elsa.

Elsamere has been open to visitors and used for field research and education purposes since 1989 and the mission of the center is; “To make environmental awareness and development education available to all people of East Africa”.

As an Education Officer, Susan works at the center giving presentations to school children. We were lucky to have her come spend her night off with us at our campsite at Lake Naivasha, where she explained the importance the lake plays in the local community’s economic and environmental welfare.

Important facts we learned about Lake Naivasha:

• The Lake is one of two freshwater Lakes in Kenya, hugely bio-diverse, and fed by three rivers from the north.
• After Kenya gained independence in 1963 the Lake became a major tourist site in the 70’s and 80’s, this combined with the constant research activity had a negative impact on the health of the lake.
• Alien species such as Crayfish were introduced to the Lake in the 70’s and nearly killed all life of the lake by eating away a plant called Papyrus that naturally filters the lake.
• Besides supplying water for Livestock the lake also supplies cooling water for the only power company in Kenya.
• Access to fresh water irrigation has allowed a “cut flower” industry to flourish with major markets in Europe and the United States. Although this has helped create livelihoods for  the local community, it contributes to high water abstraction, habitat destruction and a very serious human/primate conflict.
• Because of primate habitat loss to grow these flowers,  primate species have no choice but to forage through farmers crops. Death by snares is the main practice to keep primates away, and as of now there is no local alternative to this inhumane practice. This is much like the story of Bart the baboon from the South African Handshake trip in 2009.

Local Kenyan conservationists such as Susan from the Elsamere Center are concerned by the poor enforcement of environmental protection agencies. The next best option would be persuasion from the consumers here in the UK and US to use more sustainable practices which in turn would also cut down in primate snare use.

Susan explained that there has been an effort by concerned Kenyans that has reached out to the western market asking for help, but unfortunately the effort made no mark and nothing much has changed.

Not much time is left for the primates or for that matter Lake Naivasha.  People like Susan work tirelessly to teach and change the fate of the Kenyan environment but unless we in the West educate ourselves on WHERE our products are coming from and HOW they are being made we will continue to work against these efforts.

As frustrating as this problem is the solution must be balanced between protecting the fragile eco system of Lake Naivasha, finding humane alternatives for crop protection from displaced wildlife, AS WELL as protecting the people who’s livelihood rely on the flower industry.  So the question remains open…Is it viable for everyone to get what they want without sacrificing the other?